Pak outspending India 3:1 in US lobbying

WASHINGTON DC: Pakistan is outspending India 3 to 1 on payments to lobbying and strategic communications firms in the US in an attempt to gain greater access to the hallways of power in Washington DC, according to filings with the US Department of Justice reviewed by HT.

- Shashank Mattoo

Pakistan spends an estimated $600,000 per month on strategic lobbying efforts to gain greater access to the White House, Congress and US government agencies. The country, which has faced a protracted economic crisis over the last few years, has hired a battery of six lobbying and legal firms to expand its outreach in Washington DC. By contrast, India, with an economy over 10 times the size of Pakistan's, spends roughly $200,000 a month and has hired only two lobbying firms.

The numbers are relevant, especially given Indian concerns about the inroads Pakistan has managed to make into the second Trump administration. Islamabad has secured a meeting for Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir with President Trump. It has also managed to get the Trump administration interested in Pakistan by touting the prospects of US investments in critical minerals and oil reserves. In addition, Islamabad has won acknowledgement of its role as a key ally in the fighting against terror from Washington in recent 1 months.

Lobbying and strategic communications firms are a mainstay of power politics in Washington DC. In exchange for a hefty fee, white shoe firms help foreign governments gain access to key political institutions such as the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon and Congress. These firms also offer strategic communications and reputation management services, which help push a foreign government's preferred narrative to the media and the general public.

Pakistan is currently spending generously on six lobbying and communications firms with an estimated monthly expenditure of $600,000, according to public filings with the US Department of Justice. A few of these firms have close ties to the Trump Administration.